Investigating the impact of growth kinetics on geochemical records of oyster shells

<p>Sclerochronology provides valuable proxy data for investigating high-resolution paleoclimate dynamics at seasonal/(sub-)annual scale. Nevertheless, the interpretation of these proxy data is often hampered by the interplay between three main factors: (i) paleoenvironmental patterns; (ii) vital (physiological and kinetic) effects related to biomineralization pathways; and (iii) potential alteration during diagenetic modification of skeletal materials.</p><p>Because the interaction between environmental and metabolic factors is, at present, one of the most difficult to quantify, an ideal opportunity is brought forward to better understand the complexity of environment-metabolism interaction in marine biogenic carbonate archives. A project was tailored to investigate the impact of growth kinetics on geochemical proxy data (carbon and oxygen stable isotopes and main and trace elemental data) from oyster shells responding to changes in metabolism due to environmental fluctuations. Motivated by the exceptionally favourable circumstance that oyster farms are located near our Institution in Aveiro (Portugal), these will be used as a natural laboratory. Most interestingly, in Aveiro, oyster growth rates are significantly higher compared to those cultivated in France (Arcachon Bay). This is the case despite the fact, that the oysters grown in Aveiro are imported from France, and this will form the main study site of this project. In order to have a wider range of observational sites, a third oyster station in Southern Portugal (Olhão), influenced by warmer coastal waters will also be sampled. Finally, modern oyster specimen will be compared and contrasted with well-preserved ancient Crassostrea and Ostrea material in an attempt to bridge the gap between the Present and the Mesozoic.</p><p>State-of-the-art petrographic and geochemical research involving both modern and ancient oysters of the same genus will be performed. With reference to recent specimens, this must be performed in combination with a strict biological assessment of oyster metabolic performance, but with focus on carbonate archive research. An international Research Team (Portugal, Germany, France, Spain) was assembled, bringing together experts from a wide range of research fields, including Carbonate Geochemistry, Biomineralization, Sedimentology, Mineralogy, (Micro) Palaeontology, Sclerochronology, Biology, Ecology, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Modelling.</p><p>The goals of this project include: (i) establishing the link between modern environmental seasonal fluctuations, oyster growth rates and impact on the geochemical record of the shell, while additionally understanding non-linear responses (e.g., ontogenenetic evolution, effects of storms or other extreme events); (ii) compile information from a variety of proxies (bio-geochemical, petrographic, mineralogical, ecological), locations and times, aiming to test the best approaches for integration with a coherent framework; (iii) explore the link to ancient shell-archives, distinguishing between the various forcers of their geochemical signals, more specifically the interplay between paleoenvironmental conditions and vital effects.</p>

Monitoring changes at work: cross-cultural difference in employees’ evaluation

Research background: Globalization and digitalization of society are leading to fundamental alterations in the labour sphere. Global trends and turbulent times are changing the work environment, stipulating the emergence of new forms of labour relations and employment models. Thinking on the on-going transformation processes requires a monitoring study of new phenomena, as well as the creation of a knowledge system about the directions and prospects of human resources management and labour relations development. Purpose of the article: The article presents the interim results of the current monitoring changes in labour relations conducted by the international research team members. The empirical data obtained are considered in the context of the social and cultural features of respondents from different countries that contributes to a deeper understanding of the phenomena under study. Methods: In 2020, the authors carried out a sociological survey involving employees of enterprises operating in various sectors of the economy in the Russian Federation, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Turkey and Kazakhstan. The total number of respondents formed by random sampling is amounted to 1138 people. For the purpose of a comprehensive typology of the surveyed workers from different countries, a cluster analysis of the collected data was carried out. Findings & Value added: A comparative analysis of the sociological survey results reflects the trends in work transformation and labour relations that have developed under the Covid-19 pandemic. Cross-cultural analysis reveals the impact of social and cultural factors on respondents’ assessment and companies’ human resource management practices.

COVID-19 mental health care toolkit: an international collaborative effort by Early Career Psychiatrists section

The collaborative effort of an international research team from the Early Career Psychiatrists section of the World Psychiatry Association has brought about an easy-to-use, quick and stepwise mental health care toolkit for the identification and appropriate referral of those in need of mental health care during the pandemic. This simple guide can be applied in the general outpatient setting and is catered for all healthcare professionals, regardless of their expertise within the mental health field with minimal training. It is our hope that by incorporating this toolkit into our daily clinical care during the pandemic for high-risk patients and patients with non-specific complaints, we will be able to bridge the mental health gap present in our society.

Tweeting in the Time of Coronavirus: How Social Media Use and Academic Research Evolve during Times of Global Uncertainty

Our international research team was in the midst of a comparative study about the day-to-day experience of Twitter users in Berlin and Jerusalem through a series of daily short surveys, when our Jerusalem data were becoming increasingly “compromised” by the growing public concern, and tightening government measures, around the spread of the Coronavirus in Israel. During the two waves of our 10-day survey of salient Twitter users in Jerusalem (March 9–March 19, N = 34; March 23–April 2, N = 25), Israel shifted from 50 confirmed Coronavirus cases to over 6,800 and from relative routine to almost full stay-at-home orders. This essay presents two intersecting narratives. First, we consider the methodological challenges of adapting ongoing academic survey studies to changing conditions. We then offer a mixed-methods analysis of the experiences of our Twitter users and how they saw the Coronavirus crisis shaping their use of Twitter. The essay thus offers a unique methodological and empirical vantage point on how social media use—and academic research—evolve during times of global uncertainty.

Bioboard

The following topics are under this section: Asia-Pacific — Stresses of parenting may negatively affect the parent-child relationship Asia-Pacific — Duke-NUS holds first regional ageing and health conference for policymakers and researchers in Singapore Asia-Pacific — Science, Tech, and policies convene for a sustainable future Asia-Pacific — Researchers uncover the mechanism behind cancer-causing E.coli toxin setting the path to new preventive measures for colorectal cancer Asia-Pacific — Novel technology to determine classification of cancer cells through DNA barcodes Asia-Pacific — Identification of specific proteins can aid in development of novel therapeutic targets for heart diseases Asia-Pacific — How evolutionarily conserved genetic material determines reproductive ability of plants Asia-Pacific — Scientists call for bolder actions to protect coral reefs Asia-Pacific — International research team develops breakthrough technology for auto-detection of heart disease Rest of the World — New clinical guidelines for patients at high risk of heart attacks, stroke Rest of the World — For gut microbes, not all types of fibre are created equal

O SIGNIFICADO DO TRABALHO PARA OS ARTESÃOS DA REGIÃO DO CARIRI CEARENSE

O objetivo deste artigo é analisar como artesãos significam o trabalho que realizam. Para coleta de dados, utilizamos versão reduzida do instrumento de pesquisa construído pela equipe Meaning of Work International Research Team – MOW – durante os anos 1980, traduzido e validado no Brasil por Soares (1992). Conforme orientação do modelo teórico adotado, o significado do trabalho é analisado a partir de três dimensões: centralidade do trabalho, normas sociais do trabalho e resultados e objetivos valorizados do trabalho. A partir da realização de análises estatísticas descritivas examinamos o comportamento da amostra de artesãos investigados frente às dimensões que integram o modelo de significado do trabalho da equipe MOW (1987). Adicionalmente, operamos a comparação entre médias de quatro perfis de artesãos, para as dimensões citadas. A média de centralidade absoluta do trabalho para os artesãos é alta e não foi observada diferença relevante entre as médias dos quatro perfis analisados. Quanto à centralidade relativa, o trabalho obteve segunda maior média. Os artesãos do Cariri cearense apresentaram uma adesão levemente superior às normas de direitos quando comparadas às normas de deveres. No exame da dimensão resultados esperados do trabalho, encontramos diferenças entre as médias dos quatro perfis e na ordem dos resultados mais valorizados.

When is a randomised controlled trial health equity relevant? Development and validation of a conceptual framework

BackgroundRandomised controlled trials can provide evidence relevant to assessing the equity impact of an intervention, but such information is often poorly reported. We describe a conceptual framework to identify health equity-relevant randomised trials with the aim of improving the design and reporting of such trials.MethodsAn interdisciplinary and international research team engaged in an iterative consensus building process to develop and refine the conceptual framework via face-to-face meetings, teleconferences and email correspondence, including findings from a validation exercise whereby two independent reviewers used the emerging framework to classify a sample of randomised trials.ResultsA randomised trial can usefully be classified as ‘health equity relevant’ if it assesses the effects of an intervention on the health or its determinants of either individuals or a population who experience ill health due to disadvantage defined across one or more social determinants of health. Health equity-relevant randomised trials can either exclusively focus on a single population or collect data potentially useful for assessing differential effects of the intervention across multiple populations experiencing different levels or types of social disadvantage. Trials that are not classified as ‘health equity relevant’ may nevertheless provide information that is indirectly relevant to assessing equity impact, including information about individual level variation unrelated to social disadvantage and potentially useful in secondary modelling studies.ConclusionThe conceptual framework may be used to design and report randomised trials. The framework could also be used for other study designs to contribute to the evidence base for improved health equity.